Camp Dustun
by Panda Puffin
Summary: AU: Rose Tyler never wanted to be sent to a camp. She's pretty sure her Summer's ruined, with her mum to blame. But then there's Mr. Smith, or as she likes to call him, the Doctor. He's funny and charming, and not at all how she expected a counselor to be. Problem is, the camp has a rule: No relationships between a camper and a counselor... and Rose hates rules.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ahm. Well. This was just sort of jotted down rather quickly, so... *innocent whistle imsorryifthisiscrap*  
**

**Yeah. I'm starting another story. While I still have two unfinished and one that I promised to write up. Plus, one that I have to re-write. But Summers coming soon, so, hey. I'll have more time after my acting class. And... I promise I'll try and get them done during the summer...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Sadly.**

Alright, let's get something straight before you read any further: Rose Tyler was not against camping. She was not against people who went camping, nor was she against hiking through nature. What she was against was a certain woman sending her out to a camp miles away from home, with nobody that she knew. As far as Rose was concerned, she was allowed to be against that. After all, her mum had suddenly bolted into the living room, thrown a brochure at her, and excitedly explained that she had signed Rose up for 'Camp Dustun', a place where she was bound to make new friends and, as Rose had been wanting for a while, an excuse to get out of work. And that wasn't even the biggest problem. No, the biggest problem was that Rose was 19. She should be a counselor, not a camper. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have to walk into work and tell your boss you were going to be camping for the Summer? Plus, Rose's boss wasn't the most trusting woman, which meant she'd been forced to give her the brochure Jackie had thrown at her. The brochure had cartoon-y pictures of hikers and forest across it, along with a few cartoon rabbits thrown along the bottom. Basically, the camp was technically for people ages 6-19, but nobody over 15 actually ever attended. Except Rose, of course.

_Ugh._ Rose bumped her head on the bus window, gripping the bag on her shoulder tightly. The bus was filled with giggling, screaming girls and boys who obviously had no idea that they'd been sent to a camp just so their parents could have some peace and quiet for a few months. And Rose didn't blame them, either. These kids really didn't know when to shut up. The driver had told them to quiet down at least six times now; only a few kids listened, and after a few minutes they were just screaming all over again. It was hot and stuffy inside, and she was being shoved up against some 14 year old boy who couldn't keep his hands to himself. Rose couldn't wait until the bus would stop, especially since everyone was separated into cabins by their age. That meant that unless there were other kids from ages 17-19 in the bus in front and behind of the one Rose currently rode in, she would have a cabin all to herself.

Which, of course, may sound lonely, but Rose would rather be by herself rather than a group of teenagers who stayed up past curfew hours and wouldn't let any one else get any sleep. When the bus finally pulled to a stop, Rose was the first out of the bus, even though she'd been sitting at the very back of the horribly crowded bus. She took a deep breath of relief, wrinkling her nose at the smell that wafted over to her. It smelled a lot like some kind of animal crap, which lead to Rose thinking that she was going to have to get used to the out-door smell; which for a camp meant the smell of immature guys pee on a tree, animal crap, and kids who refused to take a shower because they were shy.

The sound of a car horn ripped through the air suddenly, and all of Rose's things fell from her grip when she jumped. A couple of kids laughed at her mistake, whilst others just glanced shyly at her and shuffled on by without offering to help. Growling in frustration, she crouched down to collect the items that had spilled from her duffle bag. She stuffed two cd's she taken from home, her mobile, and a pack of gummy bears back into the tiny bag first. She reached for the water bottle, the only other object to have fallen out, but somebody else picked it up first. Rose glanced up in surprise, rising to her feet.

A tall, thin man with some rather great hair stood in front of her. He had only a bit of stubble, and it suited him very well. His chestnut brown hair spiked up in all directions, and he had sideburns that about reached his earlobes. His large brown eyes glittered happily, as if he actually enjoyed spending his summer at a camp. "Here," he said, handing her the bottle. It took Rose a few moments to process the fact that this man, this slightly gorgeous man, was in fact a counselor; pale green suit, name tag and all.

"Thanks," Rose replied rather quietly, moving the objects in her bag around to make room for the bottle.

"No problem," he grinned widely, rocking back on his heels. "Sorry 'bout Steve- that's the bloke that honked the car horn- his favorite part about camp is scaring everyone, whether it's just making them jump from surprise or telling cliché ghost stories around a campfire. He's a bit of a moron, but you learn to love him. Well, by love, I mean like of course. Get used to. Then again, who knows what goes on in a girls head..."

Rose couldn't suppress a small giggle. He cocked his head. "What?"

"Nothin'."

He arched an eyebrow. "Not nothing, what is it?"

"Well," she smiled, "I was just wondering if you always rambled?"

"I've been told it's my best talent," he nodded with a completely straight face as if to suggest he was being serious. Of course, they both broke out grinning after a few seconds of silence.

"Also," Rose pointed at his name tag, "I can't help but notice that it appears you have no name."

He glanced down at where his name should be, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. The name tag was blank, just a slip of blank paper. "Ah. So it does. I can't seem to recall what it was, actually..." Rose blinked. He snorted, "Kidding. It's Smith." He stuck his hand out. "Mr. Smith to a camper like yourself."

She shook his hand politely, although she doubted either of them were actually trying to be polite, but more of making fun of the action. She was surprised to realize she felt at ease around him. "Rose," she said, dropping her arm back to her side. "Rose Tyler."

Mr. Smith clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, studying her. At that moment, Rose wished she'd worn her hair up instead of down. She also wished she'd applied make-up before she'd left home. According to the camp's brochure, make-up wasn't allowed. Then again, neither were mobiles, so why she hadn't just stuffed in some cover-up or something, she didn't know. He didn't seem to be studying her face though. Well, he certainly didn't look like he was judging her based on her face anyway. "Well, pleasure to meet you, Rose Tyler."

"Ah, Smith." They both glanced up the man who had caused Rose to drop her things- Steve- approached them with a clipboard in hand. "I'm assigning you to cabins number ten, five, and four. Anderson's with one, six, and three, Hardy with two, seven, and eight. I assume that's fine with you?"

"Of course," Mr. Smith nodded, straightening his back. Steve simply nodded, turned and left. Rose cocked her head.

"He calls you all by your last names?"

"Yup," he popped the 'p'. "Calls us by nicknames sometimes though. Mrs. Anderson, she somehow achieved the nickname 'lollipop', much to her distaste. Mr. Hardy got stuck with 'midget', poor bloke."

"Is he?"

"Is he what?"

"A midget?"

That made him laugh. "Nah, he's just shorter compared to the rest of us. But he's not a midget."

"Oh," Rose nodded. "And what did you get stuck with?"

"The Doctor."

"'The Doctor'? Why?"

"I was more of a medical assistant last year," he admitted, shrugging. Well, that certainly explained why he had looked so excited for the day to properly start, if this was his first year being an actual counselor. "Last year I was the only adult with medical training, so they stuck me in a little room as a nurse. Of course, Steve thought 'nurse' sounded too girly, so he began calling me the Doctor. It's better than lollipop or midget, I suppose."

Rose grinned. She liked Mr. Smith. Or, the Doctor. She had a feeling she would be referring to him as the Doctor now, just because it sounded... well, not so civilized. Mr. Smith was a boring name. But, anyway, he was funny and kind. In fact, so far he was the only person who'd been nice to her since she'd arrived. Plus, he was at least somewhere around her age group; maybe only a couple years older. She was starting to space off staring at his face, but the same car horn pierced the air again. Crossly, she whipped her head around the stare at the car. Steve grinned as several campers sent glares in his direction, one of them even building the courage to flip him off. He just laughed, and pointed uphill.

"Camps up that way," he said loudly. Rose glanced over at where he was pointing. Her heart sunk. There wasn't exactly a clear trail that led to the camping grounds. It was more like a line of weeds and over-grown grass that had simply been shoved sideways. Some of the kids were already plowing their way towards the direction of the camp. Rose just wanted to go home. Heaving a long sigh, she started after them, the Doctor at her side. His hand kept brushing hers and each time, she felt herself blushing at the contact. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice, as he was focused on the sky.

"Looks like it's going to rain tonight," he commented, and then as if on cue, the sky lit up with lightning and rain came pouring down hard. Most of the kids started groaning, speeding up their pace. Rose couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny 'bout rain?" The Doctor asked, making sure to keep an eye on the younger kids.

"Nothing funny," she shrugged. "You just like, summoned it. Oh! Is that something you're not telling me? Are you a rain god? Do ya' do a little rain dance to make it stop? Or is that Midgets job?"

"Very funny," a deep voice snapped from inside the covers of the trees. Rose didn't need to ask to know that it had been Midget, also known as Mr. Hardy, who had spoken. Both the Doctor and Rose shared a laugh before having to speed up before the storm got even worse.

_Maybe, _Rose thought, glancing shyly at the Doctor, _this camping trip won't be so bad after all._

**A/N: Leave a review if you want more, maybe? :3 Free cupcakes to reviewers~  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Your cupcakes have been sent in the mail. They should arrive in about 60-72 years. Thank you! :3  
**

By the time they reached the camp grounds, the rain had let up a bit. The sun was beginning to shine through the clouds. The campers and counselors, however, were soaked. Rose wrung out her hair, screwing up her face in annoyance. The Doctor was chuckling to himself while he watched everyone's reaction. He was a bit of an odd bloke, but his looks made up for that. Droplets of water clung to his hair. He shook his head and they splattered across her.

"Oi," she complained batting a hand at him. Everyone looked up as Steve pulled into a now very muddy road and jumped out from his car, completely dry. This time it was Midget who flipped him off, which drew out a laugh from everyone, except Steve who only glared at the man.

"Now, we may be a place we're you are supposed to enjoy your summer, but we do have rules. Rule number one: No fighting. We'd rather not get sued if you were pushed off a cliff, thanks. Rule number two: No bullying. Rule three: Lights out at ten, lights on at 9. And our _most _important rule: _No_ relationships between campers and counselors." It was a bit odd, the way he said that with such a stern voice. It made Rose wonder...

"Have people ever done that?" She distantly heard Steve mention going to show them their cabins, but most of her attention was focused on the Doctor.

"Done what?" He pushed her lightly on her back to get her to start walking with the group.

"Had a relationship with a counselor."

"Yeah, last year," he admitted, but that was all he said. It must be something they didn't talk about. Trying to shake it off, she focused on the area around her. Besides the light fog that had settled around them and the damp ground, the place was pretty normal and boring. It was just a small ordinary camp site. Off to the right there was an archery set and a trail that led into the forest. To the right were six cabins. Not many campers must come here. The only thing she actually liked about the camp was the Doctor. And Steve. Steve was alright.

The rain had completely stopped by the time they reached Rose's cabin. The other campers had already been shown to where they'd be staying, and just as Rose had guessed, she was the only one who would be staying at the 10th cabin. The Doctor seemed amused by that, although he didn't do anything beyond sending her the occasional cheeky grin. She bit the inside of her cheek when they approached her cabin, toying with the strap of her duffel bag. The cabin looked a little older than the previous cabins. Not that that bothered her. Rose jumped, squeaking a little when Steve leaned close to her, making a hissing noise.

"They say this cabin is haunted," he whispered in her ear. Rose leaned away, giving him an odd look. Steve and the Doctor both laughed at her reaction. "Just kidding," he nodded towards the cabin. "Sort of. Anyway, it's a bit different than the other cabins so I'll let the Doctor show you how to work a few things. Lights out at 10." And with that, Steve walked away.

"Should I be worried about him?" Rose turned to the Doctor, who was staring up at the cabin. He turned to her when she spoke.

"Probably," he admitted. He did a little skipp-y thing and hurried into the cabin, dragging her along. She didn't know what she was expecting the inside to look like, but it was better than the outside, at least. The small amount of furniture that was there (a one-person bed, a bedside table, a lamp, and a dresser) looked new. The carpet was soft and clean and the cabin was 100% cob-web free.

"What's wrong with it?" She asked, kicking her shoes off. The Doctor nodded towards the room off to the left.

"Most of what is wrong is in the bathroom." He walked farther into the room, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Come on."

She followed him into the small bathroom, where he explained that to turn on the hot water at the sink, you had to have cold on at full blast or else the hot water wouldn't work. The pipes in the cabinet below leaked, but it wasn't too bad. The shower curtain had a rip down the middle. There was nothing she could do about that. He took her back into the main room and rather unexpectedly hopped onto her bed. It made a loud creaking noise, and she nearly expected it to collapse under his weight. It didn't though, thank God.

"The beds a bit odd," the Doctor explained, wriggling about. The bed creaked with each movement he made.

"Lovely," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. He shrugged and got off up the bed, walking back to the cabin door.

"Well, night." He shoved one hand into his pocket, waving with the other.

"Don't let the demons bite," Rose added, grinning at the face he made.

"You're a cheery one," he snorted, then closed the door. Left alone in the silence of her own personal cabin, Rose sighed. Her clothing was still wet and she quickly stripped them off, changing into a really comfortable pair of plaid pajamas. She brushed her teeth, ran a comb through her hair a few times, and collapsed on the bed. The sound was horribly loud, but she suspected it couldn't be heard from outside. She crawled under the covers (which were wet from when the Doctor had lain on them), squeezing her eyes shut tight. The cabin kept creaking and it was honestly pretty creepy, but she tried to ignore it. She wasn't going to let Steve's claim about the cabin being haunted get to her. Evening out her breath, she forced herself to relax, and eventually, after what seemed like hours, she drifted off to sleep.

XXX

Rose still wanted to go home when she woke up. The cabin was horribly cold and her head was aching. There was no clock in the cabin, so she wasn't actually sure what time it was, and to be honest, she'd completely forgotten what time they were meant to be up by. She sighed, shifting onto her side (and the bed creaked very loudly). Someone knocked on the door, yelling something Rose's brain couldn't understand while she was this tired. Rose fell from the bed and onto the fluffy carpet, and the door opened.

Mrs. Anderson stood in the open doorway. Upon seeing Rose tangled up among her sheets on the ground, she started laughing. "Sorry! I know it's early, trust me, I'd rather sleep in longer, too, but it's Steve who makes the rules. So, ya' gotta' get up!"

"What time is it?" Rose sighed, stumbling to her feet and walked sluggishly over to her bag. Mrs. Anderson closed the door and turned her back to give Rose some privacy while she changed back into her day clothes.

"Nearly 9:30. John and I decided to let you sleep in for half an hour. We're generous, aren't we?"

"John?"

"The Doctor. Ah- Mr. Smith. Sorry."

Rose nodded, grabbed her water bottle and moved to the front door, keeping a straight face. Inside, she was bubbling with excitement, wanting nothing more to speak to the Doctor. He made up for camp being so horrible. "Ready?" Rose nodded.

"Are you counseling me?" She asked when they were out of the cabin, pointing towards Steve and Mr. Hardy who had a bunch of kids with them. Mrs. Anderson shook her head.

"John is, actually, he was just really lazy this morning... which was actually the reason you got to sleep in. Like I said. Generous people."

Rose laughed, but said nothing else. Mostly because she had seen the Doctor and wanted nothing more than to run up to him and start talking like they had done the day before. However, Mrs. Anderson was still by her side, and running up to him was going to be odd in her point of view. They walked to the breakfast table, which was stacked with sausages and hot dogs and a lot of other meat and stuff. Another good about camp: it actually had good food. She took a sausage and a waffle and settled down on a blanket that was laid out on the ground so the campers didn't get wet and muddy when they sat down.

She picked at her food with the fork, feeling sick to her stomach. She missed the comfort of her bed at home and being able to sleep in as long as she wanted to. And, dare she say it, she missed her mum and her cooking.

"Hello!" Came the cheery voice of the Doctor. Rose looked up and...

And...

And _oh he had morning hair. _Sexy, fantastic morning hair that stood up in every direction. "Hi," she whispered, watching him as he sat down in front of her. He leaned back, using his elbows to prop him up.

"Wasn't ready to wake up this morning," he mumbled, tilting his head back and poking his tongue out like he was tasting the air. Forcing herself to focus on her food, Rose poked a bit of waffle with her fork and carefully put it in her mouth, chewing on it slowly. She looked up at the Doctor through her eyelashes. He was looking across the camp grounds, staring at a woman around Rose's age. Maybe a little older, in her twenties. She had blond hair that was up in a bun and she wore a counselors suit.

"Who is that? Haven't seen her about'?" Rose asked. The Doctor's head whipped to look at her when she spoke, a small blush rising to his cheeks.

"That's uh... that's Reinette, my... girlfriend."

"Oh." Rose pursed her lips, her heart sinking. He had a girlfriend? Well, of course he would, he was a good looking guy after all. And there was no reason for her to be jealous. Not that she was jealous. Not jealous at all.

"She's a new counselor. Just joined this year, but she's absolutely brilliant and great with the kids. She's more of a helper though... I mean, she doesn't actually lead any groups."

Ugh. He had that dreamy sound to his voice like guy that was totally in love with a girl. He looked over and his eyes lit up as he realized Reinette was coming over to them. Rose wanted to die right then. She would have gotten up and ran away, but she was hesitant, not wanting to be rude. And anyway, it was too late now.

"Hi," Reinette said happily, grinning at the Doctor. When her eyes settled on Rose, the smile disappeared, replaced by a confused frown. Not a bratty look, like Rose was expecting, just a generally confused frown. Rose hated to admit that Reinette was indeed very pretty. Her skin looked flawless and she had a light tan. Her cheeks had a rosy tint to them. Her brown eyes were alight with excitement. She was probably perfect in the eyes of any man. In Rose's eyes, she could pick out every flaw... if there were any physical flaws to even pick out.

"I'm Rose Tyler," she said quietly. She rose to her feet, nodded toward her plate, and left to dump it in the trashcan. She felt sick all over again now. Looking back, Rose considered going back over to the two, but Reinette was sitting in the Doctor's lap now, pointing to a map or something she'd placed in front of them. The Doctor's arms were wrapped around Reinette's waist and he was pressing kisses into her hair. Swallowing her frustration, she turned around to leave, and nearly crashed into Mrs. Anderson.

"Sorry, Mrs. Anderson, sorry! Wasn't paying attention to where I was... uh... sorry."

"Call me Kaylee," she smiled, then shook her head. "You're fine."

Rose stared at her for a few seconds, studying her for the first time. Kaylee had cherry brown hair that went to her collar bone, and her skin was incredibly pale. She was fairly skinny with bright blue eyes. She was also much taller than Rose had realized. Before, she had been too focused on wanting to see the Doctor and to go home. It hadn't registered in her head how tall Kaylee was.

"I'm guessing you've met Reinette, then?" Kaylee asked, nodding towards the couple. The Doctor was now resting his head on Reinette's shoulder.

"Sort of," Rose muttered, shrugging.

"Didn't like her?"

"No, I did, she was pretty nice, I suppose."

"You suppose?"

Rose simply shrugged. Kaylee bit her lip. "Not many counselors like her. Except the Doctor of course. He's completely in love with her, it's ridiculous. She's all he ever talks about when he's around us. Reinette this, Reinette that. Except last night, of course..."

"What did he talk 'bout last night?"

"You."

"_Me_?"

"Yeah, he seemed pretty happy to have met you. He kept repeating your conversations until eventually we sent him to bed with a teddy bear. Literally, we found this old stuffed bear in the back of the counselors cabin and put it in his bed when he fell asleep."

Rose giggled, starting to feel better. Kaylee was nice, and it seemed that the Doctor at least enjoyed her company. He wasn't annoyed by her. The sound of a child crying suddenly attracted their attention and Kaylee heaved a long sigh, rubbing her forehead.

"Not again," she muttered, spinning around on her heels. "I'll talk to you later, Rose!"

They both waved goodbye and Rose prepared to go talk to Steve about activities they'd be doing later when a hand settled on her shoulder. Instinctively, Rose turned and smacked the person across the face. It was only until after her palm connected with flesh did she realize who it was.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Doctor!"

The Doctor sat up from where he'd fell to the ground, rubbing his now bright-red cheek. He was grinning from ear-to-ear as he stumbled to his feet again. "You called me 'Doctor'," he laughed.

"Well, yeah." Rose snickered as he continued to rub his cheek.

"Ow," he muttered quietly. He quickly shook his head and turned his attention back to her. "Why'd you leave?" Rose was surprised to see a rather hurt expression on his face (and not from the slap). Could he have wanted her to stay?

Rose fought for a good answer, but came up with nothing. She lamely settled for, "I don't know." To Rose's surprise, he looked crushed when she said that. She quickly added, "I just thought maybe you and Reinette... I dunno', I thought maybe you wanted to be alone with her or somethin'."

The Doctor shook his head. "I was fine with you being there."

"Was Reinette?"

"Don't see why she wouldn't be..."

After that, it sort of descended into an awkward silence. Rose shuffled her feet, kicking at the ground, while the Doctor stood with one hand shoved into his pocket and the other rubbing the back of his neck.

"Er, anyway," he smiled brightly, clapping his hands together. "Steve wanted to do some archery and some paintball games for the older kids today; which do think we should do first?"

She put on a thinking face, frowning. "Hmm... well, you're the counselor, shouldn't you be choosing."

"I'm no good at choosing," the Doctor pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. Rose couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, I'd say archery, since personally I wanna' get the stuff I can't do very well done first?"

"Oh, and you're the master of paintball then?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely!"

He chuckled, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. "Well, archery first then! Just gotta' round up the campers and we're set. Allons-y!"

**A/N: Ugh. School. Three more days. I can't do it. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :3 Cookies for reviews! (And the cookies arrive sooner than the cupcakes! ^^)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I love you guys. You're all brilliant. :D *hugs with love* **

Well, Rose was right. She was terrible at archery, and it was probably best that she never picked up a bow and arrow ever again. Not once had she hit the target; well, unless you counted the black outside ring. She'd hit that once. The rest of the arrows had collided with the ground. Oh, and some fourteen year old's shoe. It hadn't hit his actual foot; just a toe. In her defense though, he'd run out into the field before the Doctor had told them to go collect their arrows. The boy had made a huge deal of it, complaining and sobbing miserably until finally Kaylee had been forced to leave her group for a short time to take the kid back to his cabin. Rose didn't feel bad at all, especially since the Doctor had stood behind her snickering when he was positive the boy wasn't hurt too badly.

Now, they all trudged through the woods, mosquitoes biting their skin and grass cutting their legs. Rose was reminded why she hated being outside in 'The Great Outdoors'. Not all that great, really. Mumbling crossly under her breath as she bent down to swat a mosquito away, and looked up in time to see a kid about to throw a walnut at her. Glaring at him, his eyes widened, and he dropped the walnut and scampered to the front of the line, falling into place besides the Doctor.

Rose sighed. She wished she could go back home, even if only for a day. The campers in her group were mostly fourteen and sixteen, although there was one group of friends that were probably about thirteen. She usually had to look down to talk to them due to their height, so she'd just started ignoring them when they tried to strike up a conversation. Normally, she wouldn't think of doing such a thing. She hated being rude. But being sent to a camp was poisoning her attitude.

"Rose!"

The Doctor's voice sounded from the front of the group. Rose instantly slipped to the front by his side, bumping into him lightly as she did so. Walnut boy slowed until he was at the back.

"Yeah?" She craned her neck to try and examine their surroundings. In front of them was an area surrounded by a circle of trees with grass-covered shacks scattered about. The grass was much taller than the grass they'd just walked through.

"This is the paintball area. I helped set it up before camp started." He said it was such pride, it made Rose giggle a little. He smiled brightly at her, running a hand through his hair (which he still hadn't bothered to fix. She blamed his hair for her archery troubles). "Alright," he turned to face the group,"for all those who are thirteen, you're gonna' need more padding than others."

A whining sound erupted from somewhere in the crowd. The Doctor shrugged. "Sorry," he said, "paintball rules. I don't make 'em." With that, he spun around on his heels again, sent Rose the widest of grins, and slipped into the grass, heading towards one of the shacks to give them padding so they didn't all go back aching from the impact of paintballs.

XXX

Alright, so paintball wasn't exactly Rose's sport, either. Her whole body was aching, despite the padding, from trying to twist out of the way of people shooting at her. Her hair had bits of paint sticking to it, and she hadn't actually hit many people. She hadn't gotten the worst of it though. Halfway through the game, everyone had decided to team up on their handsome counselor. They'd all hidden in the grass, behind the trees, and inside and behind the shacks. When the Doctor had come into clear view, they'd assaulted him. Now he sat on a tree stump, trying to get the paint out of his chestnut brown hair. Snickering, Rose approached him, sitting on the patch of grass in front of him. He glared angrily at her, though Rose knew he was kidding. She pursed her lips as he used a cloth to scrub dirt from his cheeks. He had a few leaves sticking from his hair. She leaned forward a bit, motioning for him to do the same. He did as told, and Rose plucked the leaves from his hair. He smiled that gorgeous smile of his.

"Ya' know, you can make some rather beautiful jewelry from leaves."

"Oh?"

He nodded and took the leaf from his hands, twirling it around between his pointer finger and thumb. "Yup," he popped the 'p', "used to make a lot when I was a little younger. Sort of forgotten how, now... I suppose I should learn again." He glanced down at her, smirking a little. She, in return, gave him a tongue-in-teeth grin. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet and grabbed her hand, bringing her up with him.

"It's nearly about time to go back," he said, starting a head-count. In all, they had eight-teen campers in their group. He lightly tapped her head when he counted her, then pointed to a different trail then the one they'd arrived here through.

"Can you lead?" He asked hopefully, nodding towards the kids. "I'm in a bit of pain right now- thank you very much." He motioned to the several places he'd been hit with paintballs. Rose nodded and moved to the front of the group. The Doctor called out to the other campers, informing them Rose was going to lead. She didn't know where she was going, but it couldn't honestly be that hard.

XXX

They were a little late getting back, considering Rose had gone in a circle about three times until some fourteen year old mentioned that that was the same tree he'd peed on last time around. The Doctor had taken the lead after that, every so often snickering at Rose's poor sense of direction. She'd eventually ended up pushing him down a small hill, which had gotten a laugh from the campers. Alright, so camp wasn't _horrible_... but she still missed home.

Now, she was taking a shower, washing all the bits of paint out of her hair and just relaxing in the warm water. In about ten minutes, she had to go outside for dinner and listen to Steve constantly talk and more than likely tell ghost stories. Honestly, she wasn't really looking forward.

Reluctantly climbing from the shower, she threw on her pajamas and collapsed onto the main room's floor, her head spinning. She briefly wondered if she could just skip dinner and go to sleep, but quickly dismissed the idea as someone would eventually come looking for her. The carpet was nice and cool, and did she mention it was incredibly fluffy and comfortable to lie on? She could have probably stayed there all night if there weren't still some things to do. Sighing, she stood up and left her cabin to head to dinner.

Kaylee, Steve, and Mr. Hardy were all holding paper plates, standing a ways away from the campers who all huddled in their own little groups, talking and, in one group, throwing their food at each other. The Doctor was nowhere to be seen. Shuffling forward uncertainly, she approached the tables laid out and started to pick out her dinner.

Oddly enough, the Doctor never appeared to eat. Rose had gone back to her cabin's porch to eat, seeing as she didn't actually know any other campers. Steve eventually called everyone to gather around the campfire. He grinned at everyone once they were all sitting down, pulling his legs up to his chest. Rose settled down a good ways away from Walnut boy, plate still in hand.

"Have a nice dinner, everyone?"

Silence. Rose bit her lip to keep from chuckling at the lack of response, along with nearly everyone else around her. Steve shrugged and cleared his throat, staring at the campfire as if it were the most interesting thing there. Rose surveyed the group, searching hopefully for the Doctor. He wasn't anywhere in the circle they had formed; at least, not that she could see. She turned her attention back to Steve. He'd started his ghost story, starting with the classic, 'it was a dark and stormy night'. She only hoped this wouldn't be too long, or too cheesy. Everyone else seemed pretty interested in what he was saying; Rose just found herself bored and wishing for the Doctor to come over and talk to her. Not that he _had _to talk to her. Just seeing him would be enough... because, well, because he was her friend of course, he could make her laugh by making faces. It had nothing to do with his hair, or his eyes, or his grin, or anything like that. Not at all.

Shaking off the thoughts, she tried her best to pay attention to the story, and not think about the Doctor. She regretted it a little when she heard the story Steve was telling; the story of Bloody Mary. Rose had always hated that story. While, she knew it definitely wasn't true, just the thought of a little girl being buried alive after being declared dead was just a little creepy. The Supernatural episode involving Bloody Mary hadn't helped her fear at all, either. Steve was adding dramatic pauses, too. He started to tell what happened when you did the process in the middle, and then after, 'you turn three times' he paused, his eyes scanning the scared group of campers. Rose stared at him, waiting for him to finish.

"And..."

Two cold hands rested on Rose's shoulders and she shrieked, falling backwards off the log she'd been sitting on. The group started laughing, Steve grinning broadly at her. She looked up, meeting the warm, happy brown eyes of the Doctor.

"I hate you," she scowled playfully. The Doctor laughed, doing a small victory dance before puling her to her feet. She pushed him away softly.

"Alright," Steve stood to his feet, grabbing some sort of bucket to put out the camp fire. "Time to hit the hay. I'm sure your counselors have got something planned for you tomorrow; if not, they better start planning."

Rose nudged to Doctor, nodding at Steve. He rolled his eyes. "I've got it all planned, don't worry," he assured her, running a hand through his hair and yawning. Rose nodded slowly, watching as the campers got up to go to their cabins. The Doctor took her plate and tossed it in a trash bin, then pushed on her back, walking her to her own. His hand took hers, and she bit her lip. For any normal bloke, Rose would have pulled her hand away. But, then again, the Doctor wasn't exactly a normal bloke, was he?

"So what have we got planned then?" Rose asked.

"Well, I can't tell you, or else it wouldn't be as much fun, would it?"

"_You _said you weren't good at choosing," she reminded him, chewing on her thumb nail.

"I'm not. Kaylee helped," he admitted. "We're probably gonna' spend some time with her group."

"Is Reinette in that group?" She mumbled, kicking at the ground. The Doctor gave her an odd look, cocking his head.

"Uh, no?"

"Oh."

It was silent after that. It wasn't awkward really, but Rose would have rather been talking than just walking. Once they reached the cabin, the Doctor let her hand go, using it to hold the door open for her. She stepped inside, ducking under his arm. The Doctor ruffled her hair when she passed. She ducked away again, grinning. Rose expected him to say goodnight and leave at that moment. Instead, he just sort of stood in the doorway, staring at her with a small, happy, almost affectionate smile on his face (although, she was probably just imagining the affection, right?) He didn't say anything; just stared (but it wasn't at all creepy).

"What?" She finally said, standing up straighter. He shook his head, still smiling.

"Nothing," he finally answered. "Night."

"...Night."

With that, he turned, one hand stuffed in his pocket, and closed the door, leaving Rose a little confused, but happy none the less.

**A/N: ****It's shorter and... stuff, s**o, yeah, a bit unsure of this chapter. I wrote it several times (many of which were versions in which Reinette was pretty hated in by a few characters) but eventually settled with leaving her out of the chapter all togehter. But it was fun to write, so. :3 I apologize to anyone I may have offended by complaining about having only three days left. ;~;  


** Annd... I promise I'll actually get to the "plot" (if you can call it that) in the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I have a good excuse!**

**...**

**No, not really, I was just horribly lazy, and when I _did _work on it, I got frustrated and had to put the laptop down to keep from throwing it across the room. But I'm back, and I'm okay and... and wow, it's been nearly a month... oops... Welll, here's this chapter... and to make up for my absence I'll begin working on the next chapter right away (although I can't actually promise that you'll get it any sooner... I'm bad at promises...)**

**Anyway, enjoy! :3**

The Doctor jumped up and down like a little kid, his eyes wide with excitement. Rose wondered how often he got out last year. "Moron," she breathed, shaking her head affectionately. The Doctor had woken her up at six, which was way to early, if you asked her. He'd been hyper since the moment he'd woken up, which wasn't as fun as it sounded, considering several people had gotten hurt, including Rose herself hit in the head by a flying rock. He wouldn't sit still, and eventually, they had just ended up leaving for their destination early.

"You'd think you had never gone swimming before," Rose laughed, grinning as the Doctor nearly tripped over a log. Kaylee, who stood on the other side of Rose, laughed at that.

"Oh, you should have seen him two years ago," she said, shaking her head. Rose arched an eyebrow, curious.

"You two knew each other?"

"Oh, yeah, we came here together as campers ourselves. He was always fond of the water. That was his favorite part, really, was just going down to the lake to swim. His second favorite," Kaylee breathed a long, amused sigh, "was getting into trouble and dragging me into it."

Rose laughed, sending a curious look in the Doctor's direction, but he didn't seem interested in the conversation. He was focusing on their surroundings. Rose didn't actually blame him, either. They had to walk through a stretch of forest to get to the lake, but the area seemed different to that which they had already seen. Huge trees towered above them, and green was just about everywhere. The ground was covered in moss nearly strong enough to support their weight. He seemed to find great entertainment in that, performing short ballet moves on them and constantly sending Rose enthusiastic grins. Chuckling, she focused back on the stretch ahead of them. She could just see where the dirt and grass began to fade, replaced by tiny specks of sand. The Doctor must have seen it too, because he was over by her side again in just a couple of seconds. He grabbed her hand, entwining his fingers with hers.

"Goofball," Rose snorted, nudging his shoulder with hers. The Doctor smiled, running a hand through his hair. His muscles flexed when he did so. Rose felt a blush rising to her cheeks. The Doctor had been allowed to wear something besides the usual counselors suit today. So, he had chosen a light gray t-shirt and shorts. For some reason, the Doctor made those two clothing pieces seem much more sexier than they should be. She almost hoped that it was no easier for the Doctor. Out of the several swim-suits Rose had chosen, she had gone with the bright yellow two-piece, and she definitely hadn't missed the way the Doctor had skimmed over her figure with a surprised look when she had exited her cabin wearing it. He had gulped and looked away. Now, it was her turn, desperate to not let the Doctor know the affect he was having on her.

"Come on," he chirped, tearing her from her thoughts. Blinking in surprise, she gasped as he suddenly tugged on her and started to streak across the sand. She followed clumsily behind him, trying to find her correct footing again. Several of the other campers had already made it to the water. Others trailed lazily behind.

When they finally reached the dock, she had a brief moment to wonder who was going to jump into the water first, when two warm hands wrapped around her waist. Confused, she tried to turn to look at the Doctor, but before she could, she was thrown into the lake. Squirting water from her mouth (_Ick! It tasted terrible!_), Rose struggled to the surface, gasping and spluttering. The Doctor was sitting on the dock, snickering at her.

"It's freezing!" She groaned, her teeth chattering together. He only grinned, not saying a word. "Jerk," she sniffed, before wading over towards the dock again. She pulled a hand up and the Doctor, looking slightly bemused, foolishly grabbed her hand. Smirking, she tugged on his arm. Taken by surprise, he was sent into the water, stomach first. She spun in small circles for a moment, her eyes narrowing when he didn't come back up. She backed up under the dock, scanning the deep blue water for any sign of where the Doctor was.

Rose was about to dive underwater to try and find him, but suddenly, he was springing up in front of her, causing her to shriek. Erupting into laughter, he placed a hand over her mouth to silence her scream, his face lighting up in delight. He'd surprised her two times that day- thrice, if you counted how early he had awoken her. "You are such an idiot," she scowled, rolling her eyes, which only made him laugh again.

While he was laughing, Rose couldn't help notice how close they were. She could feel his breath on her cheek, warm and smelling strongly of peppermint- her favorite. Her mouth was dry, her head spinning at the closeness. Surely he didn't realize how close he was to her, or the affect he had on her, especially on this very moment, when the water on his t-shirt was making the fabric cling to his skin- it was all very unfair, the display his muscles were putting on. Seriously, for a skinny guy, he was pretty well muscled. But anyway, she was fairly sure if he knew, he would be backing away.

Except when he stopped laughing, and the closeness registered in his eyes, he didn't move an inch. He was staring at her with the same look he'd given her the night before- the look she could have sworn carried affection, and now, being closer, she was positive that it did. She swallowed, her breath shaking a bit. The Doctor met her gaze, his eyes a little wider than usual. He seemed to be breathing a little quicker than before. His hair hung limply in front of his face instead of spiking up like usual, and honestly, it was adorable. His gaze lowered to her lips, and all too slowly, he leaned down, softly pressing his mouth to hers. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her eyes fluttering shut as she dug her fingers into his mess of hair. He gently placed a hand on her cheek, the other wrapping around her waist and tugging her closer. His lips were soft, much softer than she'd expected… not that she had thought about it… except she had, a little too often, and this was _so _much better than she had imagined.

For a brief moment, he deepened the kiss, and then, he was completely gone. Rose's eyes flickered open in surprise, scared she might have been dreaming- but, no. The Doctor was still standing there, just farther away now. A bit too far, for Rose's liking. He looked like he was beginning to panic. Fear clawed its way up Rose's throat and she winced at the look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he sounded strangled, his voice quiet and a little hoarse. "That- I'm so sorry, Rose. I, we, I…. _can't. _Reinette and… the camp and everything, it's my fault, I'm…" he didn't finish his sentence. Looking scared and ashamed, the Doctor slunk back to the shore, leaving Rose alone. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to fight simply bursting into tears. Being alone, she easily lost the battle. The salty liquid stung her cheeks. Quickly wiping them away and trying to compose herself again, she dived under water, breathing through her nose and squeezing her eyes shut tight. She tried to shake the thoughts racketing in her brain, but she couldn't rid of the one clinging on desperately; how badly had she just screwed things up?

XXX

Rose was still dripping wet when they got home. It was terribly chilly, but her mind kept wandering back to the lake. She didn't know who had been avoiding who, but Rose and the Doctor hadn't spoken, or even looked at each other again since…

"Rose?

Her head jerked up. She almost expected- almost wished- that it was going to be the Doctor speaking, but it wasn't. Steve was staring at her, his head cocked. "Er, yes?" She mumbled, trying to even out her breathing and erase any traces of fear from her features.

"Can you cook?"

Rose blinked, a bit taken aback. "What?"

"Well…" Steve looked slightly embarrassed. "Our cook, Clara Oswald, is sick, so we don't exactly want her cooking and… the Doctor won't talk to anyone for some reason, I can't cook, and Kaylee always manages to burn the water… you're the next person I trust."

"Uh… I think? I mean, depends on what you're cooking, I 'spose."

"Hot dogs and hamburgers." Steve sniffed, rubbing the back of his neck, looking a little embarrassed. "It's a Thursday afternoon," he muttered. "A boring time of day to go with a boring meal."

Rose couldn't help but grin. She faintly remembered hearing the Doctor say that once. He had been explaining what days of the weeks was fun and which were boring (apparently Saturday's were a big plus on his list). "I used to help my mum when we had barbeques. So, I'll see what I can do, ya'?"

"Yes! Thank you!" Steve grinned, and then bit into his lip. "Uh, you might want to change first though." He motioned to a group of fourteen-year-old boys who seemed to be staring at Rose. When they realized Rose was staring back, they all blushed and looked away. Steve snickered, "Because you seem to be a bit of a distraction."

Rose smiled the best she could, but she was having trouble not just bursting out into tears again. Pushing her feelings away for the moment, she simply nodded and quickly turned around on her heels, feeling Steve's gaze burning curiously into her back.

She quickly changed into shorts and a weird, short-sleeved hoodie her mum had packed. It was white, so it didn't absorb the heat as much, thank God, for once she stepped back outside, she couldn't believe how hot it had gotten. She hadn't realized it before, since the cool breeze had covered it up, but now the wind had gone and it was sweltering. Groaning, she trudged to where she usually saw the pretty brunette cook baking their meats. Steve was waiting there, a puzzled look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked, frowning.

"Kaylee just reported that the Doctor's feeling a bit sick, so he can't make it to lunch… I hope nothing's going around… anyway, I'm pretty sure you know how to start up a grill, so, yeah, but…" Steve was talking, but Rose wasn't listening. She felt sick to the stomach, but not from any virus. The Doctor wasn't sick at all; he'd been just fine this morning. That had probably been why Steve had looked so confused, but no. The Doctor was avoiding Rose. He probably didn't even want to see her.

"Rose?"

She jumped at the sudden voice, focusing her attention back on Steve. "Uh, what?" She mumbled quietly. "Sorry, I was… spacing off, I guess." Steve shrugged and continued talking. Rose was still only half listening.

The Doctor was ignoring her, and all Rose wanted to do now was go home.

**A/N: *distant sound of me laughing* I did say I'd get to the "plot" in the last chapter, didn't I? Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. c: Please type in that box below what you thought! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I ate any said food. Oops. Also, guest starring my friend, Kyra. :3  
**

Kaylee was pacing back and forth, her hands folded behind her back like she was some sort of professor and her ten year's work had just been set on fire. Yes, it was that bad. Thankfully, Rose had managed to not burn down the whole camp site each time she started cooking. Rose had been cooking for the last three days now; the night before was her last day. Clara had simply had a cold, but Steve hadn't wanted the campers to get sick with anything. Rose lazily sat back in a chair, trying to keep her mind clear of a certain tall, handsome, cheeky man she had met nearly a week ago. She wasn't having much luck, especially since Kaylee was speaking of him non-stop.

"It doesn't make sense. He's been acting so weird since he called in sick that one day. He won't eat and we only just get him to sleep every night. He won't explain anything, and he always looks like he's about to break out into frustrated tears."

Rose sighed, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. The Doctor had definitely kept to himself lately. Even though he lead her group, he always managed to avoid her. She would catch a glimpse of him, and then, he'd disappear, ducking out of sight. It annoyed her beyond end, and it made her feel guilty. When he wasn't doing his main job, he was hiding away somewhere; either in his room, or somewhere that nobody knew of.

"And the thing with Reinette," Kaylee mumbled. Rose froze and looked up, tilting her head.

"What thing with Reinette? What happened?"

"Last night, she came in to get all cuddly with him, like usual. He gently rejected her away at first, but she wouldn't quit bugging him and trying to get him to rest. He actually yelled at her. Rose, when the Doctor is mad, it's better to stay away. He sort of adopts this 'Oncoming Storm' look and well, it's not fun, to put it lightly."

Rose stared at Kaylee, mouth hanging open just a tiny bit. Why would the Doctor yell at Reinette? He was head over heels for that chick. Why would he do anything to her that would mess up their relationship?

"Anyway," Kaylee sighed, resting her hands on her hips. "He's taking cabins ten and four out to hike, and-"

"By choice?" Rose interrupted, holding her breath. Ten was _her_ cabin. Kaylee shook her head no, arching an eyebrow. Rose's heart sunk, and she sighed. She had thought, for that brief moment, that perhaps the Doctor would want to start talking again, but apparently not.

Kaylee, still confused, continued on talking, but Rose wasn't listening. She scanned the camping area until her eyes rested on the Doctor. He was sitting on one of the benches, his head lowered, hands clasped together in his lap. He looked destroyed, and the fact that Rose still didn't really understand why was killing her.

"Could they really get fired?" Rose asked, turning her attention back to Kaylee, lacing her fingers together in her lap. Kaylee finally stopped pacing, giving Rose an odd look.

"Sorry?"

"I mean, just, theoretically, if a counselor _was _to have a relationship with, well, you know... could they really get fired?"

"Uh, well, I guess, yeah. Why?"

Rose didn't answer. She chewed on her lower lip and the insides of her cheeks before she finally stood up, pulling her hair back into a high pony-tail. "Right," she mumbled, turning to rest her gaze on the ground. "Better be off then."

"Rose," Kaylee rubbed the back of her neck. "Maybe you should talk to him. He'll listen to you?"

Rose felt anger and depression forming in her stomach. She nodded quickly, turning around and hurrying away, wincing. There was a time he would have listened to her, but she doubted he had any interest anymore.

XXX

Let's make a note of something, shall we? Rose _hated _hiking. She hated the bugs, she hated the planets, she hated the animals. Everything about it was just terrible. And, hey, to make matters worse, they just happened to get _lost_ with only ten campers total and their reluctant, embarrassed counselor, who was currently trying to get his walkie-talkie to work, without much luck. One of the more clever kids was standing over the Doctor, a pair of glasses resting on his nose.

"Dude," the kid sighed, rolling his eyes. "You seriously screwed that thing up. How did you even manage to drop it in the river?"

The Doctor scowled in frustration. "It slipped from my pocket, I don't really have ninja reflexes. Although, that would be cool."

The kid gave him an odd look, threw his hands into the air, and stalked away, leaving behind a bemused looking Doctor. Before the 'Lake Incident', as Rose had started calling it, she would probably have teased the Doctor to his grave. She would have loved to have gotten lost in the woods with him. But now she wanted to get back to the camp site as soon as possible. The worst part was, she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that they weren't getting back anytime soon. Brushing off dirt that was clinging to her arm, she leaned back against one of the trees in the area, twirling her hair between her fingers. She heard the Doctor groan in anger and frustration, causing her to look up through her eyelashes. He had thrown the walkie-talkie onto the ground, and the antenna had snapped off. Rose couldn't help but giggle. When she did so, the Doctor looked up, and for the briefest of moments, their eyes connected. Quickly, they both looked away. Rose felt butterflies in her stomach. Along with anger and a splash of pain.

She missed teasing and laughing with the Doctor. Four days was already killing her- how could she last for the rest of the summer? It was stupid really. He was running from something that couldn't be avoided. He did that a lot, Rose thought. He ran away from the things he was too scared to face. While, she understood that is would feel better to run, but really, he couldn't run forever. He was going to have to talk to her eventually.

Rose laughed a little. It was like in middle school, when you had to preform a presentation. They always said to go sooner than later, to get it over with. With that in mind, Rose scrambled to her feet. Stupidly enough, she felt herself shaking, just a little. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the small circular area all the campers were in, to where the Doctor was slumped over, his back against a wide tree, looking defeated. She bit hard on her tongue to keep herself from blurting out something stupid. Swallowing, she quickly sat down beside him before she could change her mind. She made sure she was facing him. The Doctor stared at her, looking like he was trying to prove to even himself that he was brave, but his chocolate eyes were wide, and he'd tensed up.

Rose quickly tried to think up something to say. _Listen, about the other day- let's pretend it never happened?_ Except, Rose didn't want to pretend it never happened. _Why can't we still be friends? _No... that didn't really sound like Rose. The Doctor was staring at her, almost expectantly. She realized that he was expecting her to yell at him or something along those lines.

"Hey," she finally squeaked, biting down on her lip since her tongue had started to hurt. Surprise lit up the Doctor's face.

"Hey," he mumbled, looking down at his lap. Rose bit into her lip and giggled. He looked up in surprise, arching an eyebrow.

"Only you," she snorted biting down on her thumb nail and grinning at him. He gave her a confused look, tilting his head. Rose shook her head, amused. "Only you could manage to get us lost."

"Oh, shut up," he grinned at her. Rose snickered, picking up a leaf and twirling it in her fingers. The Doctor looked away, the smile fading from his lips. Rose felt awkward. She wanted to hug him. She wanted him to comfort her, for him to tell her everything would be alright between them. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair.

"Joh- er, uh, Mr. Smith?"

Rose glanced up in surprise. "Yes, Kyra?" The Doctor replied, standing up and devoting his attention to the girl. She seemed to be about thirteen or fourteen with shoulder-length, curled brown hair. Her green eyes were wide and freckles dotted her cheeks and nose.

"Will we be going back in the camp site tonight?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest. The Doctor ducked his head sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well... uh..."

Kyra snorted and glanced at Rose, a grin spreading across her lips. "He is such an idjit sometimes." The Doctor scowled. He opened his mouth to object, but someone screeched his name, followed by someone crying. Sighing, the Doctor went to check it out.

Rose cocked her head curiously. "So, Kyra, is it?"

"Yeup," Kyra grinned, sitting down next to Rose.

"You seem to know him pretty well." It was more of a statement than a question. Kyra fiddled with her fingers, looking a little nervous.

"Well, yeah... I'm his little sister."

If Rose had had something to choke on, she probably would have done so. "_What?_" She gasped, staring at the girl with wide eyes.

"Adopted," she said quickly. "I don't live with him or anything. I live with my friend, Lindsey, but yeah. I'm his adopted sister."

'Oh', mouthed Rose, still shocked. "The Doctor never mentioned you..."

Kyra snorted. "He never does. Although... you're Rose, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"The Doctor talks a lot about you." Rose stared at her in surprise. "Good things," Kyra added, smiling. "Really though, the past week it's all about you. Especially the last few days."

"What's he been saying the last few days?" Rose asked, biting down hard on her tongue. She could imagine it wasn't very nice stuff, but she was trying to convince herself that she couldn't say that without knowing for sure. Kyra wrinkled his nose.

"A lot of it has been all gushy. The rest of it has been him stressing."

Rose felt her heart start to quicken. She swallowed, biting on her lip. "Stressing about what?" She asked, her head already starting to ache. Kyra shrugged uncertainly for a moment, drawing in the dirt with her finger.

"You and Reinette," she finally murmured, looking uncomfortable with the topic. Kyra looked up, tucking her hair behind her ear. "He hasn't said a lot, to be honest, but... he's so uncertain about the situation like the idiot he is."

"What situation?"

"On who to pick. You, or Reinette."

**A/N: Soo... a bit uncertain of this chapter but... I tried.  
**

**Also, would anyone, by any chance, be interested if I wrote a story on the Doctor's side of the story? That would, of course, be after I finished this story.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Rose's legs were aching to the point where she thought they'd break off. The Doctor, in all stubbornness, had refused to let them stay overnight in the small area. They'd hiked through the forest until he finally recognized where they were. Kaylee had just about fallen down laughing when she learned he'd managed to get them lost. But they were back to the camp base now, and that was what mattered.

Reinette, much to Rose's surprise, hadn't talked to him at all when they arrived back. Instead, she watched from a distance while the Doctor gleefully talked to everyone. Rose was happy, though. She hadn't seen him looking so... alive in a while. He was grinning and laughing and teasing people. She watched curiously as his eyes scanned the area. To Rose's surprise, he glanced at Reinette and winced. Reinette's eyes narrowed and she spun around on her heels stalking off. He watched her go, his face screwed up in an unreadable expression. He ran a hand through his hair and glanced in Rose's direction. Their eyes locked and Rose froze, staring at him with wide eyes. He offered a small wave and a smile. Relaxing, Rose shot him a shy grin and returned the gesture.

Pursing her lips, she turned and hurried back to her cabin after the Doctor and gone back to speaking with Kaylee. She took a quick shower, brushed her hair and her teeth and sighed. They had gotten back an hour before dinner would be served- she was starving. She quickly changed into her pajamas and dug through her bag until she found her phone. She almost hoped there would be a message on it from her mother, or one of her friends, but the screen was blank. Sighing, she tossed it back in and, after a while of sitting in the middle of the room toying with the carpet, she decided to go back outside. She opened the door and squeaked. The Doctor stood right in front of her, hand poised to knock. His eyes widened and he took a step back, looking sheepish.

"Hello," he said, his voice sounding strangled. Rose blinked in surprise, gaping at him for a few moments before finding her voice.

"Hi."

The Doctor bit down on his lip and pointed behind him. "Dinner soon," he choked out. She watched him screw his face up for a moment before standing up straighter. "Rose Tyler, may I accompany you to the campfire?" He grinned brightly, but his eyes were bright with worry.

"You may," Rose said after a thoughtful pause. The Doctor's face lit up as she closed the door behind her and they both jumped off the porch, but didn't exactly walk side by side. Rose trailed farther behind. She glanced around. Most of the campers hadn't left their cabin yet, but she could smell the food. Her mouth watered at the aroma.

"So, what have you been doing for the past few days," Rose mumbled, trying her best to strike up a conversation. She'd never really been good at that, but she wanted to break the awkward silence between the two. She hated not talking to him.

The Doctor bit down on his lip as he glanced at her. "Sulking," he replied. They both stopped walking. The Doctor stared at her. Rose stared at the ground, suddenly too scared to meet his eyes.

"Me too," she said, swallowing. The Doctor sighed and she glanced up at him through her eyelashes.

"I don't want to sulk, Rose," he mumbled, staring up at the sky and rubbing the back of his neck. She almost laughed at how awkward he was.

"Then don't!" She said, holding her breath.

He blinked, clearly surprise, before her favorite grin appeared on his lips- that adorable, but slightly maniac one. "That's the simplest solution, innit'?" Rose nodded, giving him a tongue-in-teeth-grin. His smile faded. "Don't do that."

"What?"

"_That_. That tongue thing!"

"Why not?" Rose chuckled as they resumed walking. He glared at her, which made her laugh harder. Rolling his eyes, he gripped her hand lightly, as if afraid she would suddenly pull back. She, in return, gripped his hand tighter. That seemed to reassure him, because he seemed to suddenly let a breath of relief.

"When you and Kyra were talking earlier, what were you talking about?" He asked suddenly, arching his eyebrow at her. Rose bit into her lip, running her free hand through her hair.

"Oh, nothing much," she shrugged. The Doctor's eyes narrowed.

"That's exactly what Kyra said."

Rose pursed her lips, shrugging again. "Come on!" She chirped, beginning to drag him towards the smell of food. Once they were in the kitchen, the Doctor let go of her hand and strode forward, picking up a hotdog bun. He passed her a paper plate, nodding towards the food.

Rose snorted, "I don't think we're meant to be eating yet." Still, she picked up a hotdog and placed it inside the bun, then sprinkled on a few Doritos. The Doctor sniffed and piled food on his own plate.

"I'm a counselor," he explained, sucking on his fingers to get the hotdog juices from his skin. Rose glanced sideways at the sound of a door opening. She froze, as did the Doctor. Reinette stopped mid step, staring at them, casting Rose a death glare. Avoiding Reinette's eyes, Rose slipped over to the Doctor's side, staring up at him and giving him a questioning gaze.

"Reinette," the Doctor mumbled slowly, shifting uncomfortably. Reinette's gaze hardened.

"What are you doing?" She hissed through gritted teeth. Rose bit down on her tongue, keeping her gaze on the ground. She shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. The Doctor's face had turned pale, his chocolate eyes wide. His freckles stood out more than usual. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. He made a small noise in the back of his throat. Reinette gave him a weird look. "What?" The Doctor quickly shook his head as if to say 'nothing'.

Reinette rolled her eyes and looked back to Rose. "_You're _not meant to be in here," she said coldly. Rose pursed her lips, unable to think up a reply.

The Doctor quickly spoke up for her, "she's with me."

"So? She's still not meant to be here!"

Wincing, Rose slipped towards where they'd entered, plate still in hand. "I guess I'll be leaving then," she mumbled, scrambling from the kitchen. She could feel the Doctor and Reinette's eyes on her as she crossed the room. Closing the door, she heard some sort of indignant squeak from Reinette. She couldn't help but wonder what the Doctor could have said to her.

"Rose! Hey, there you are, I was looking for you, I wanted to... were you in the kitchen?"

Rose spun around, staring at Kaylee with a sheepish grin. "The Doctor took me in there, yeah." Kaylee arched an eyebrow, opening her mouth to reply, but neither of them got a chance as there was an annoyed shriek, followed by Reinette stalking out of the kitchen, face red with anger. Her eyes were filled with tears. Rose's eyes widened.

"It's _your_ fault," Reinette spat at Rose as she shoved past her. The Doctor stumbled out soon after, plate-less, his eyes even wider than before.

"What did you say to her?" Kaylee gasped, her face alight with amusement. The Doctor shrugged, fidgeting with his fingers. Rolling her eyes, Kaylee lightly smacked him on the back of the head as she walked off. He grinned sheepishly and scrambled to Rose's side.

"What _did _you say?"

"Nothing much. She just gets... emotional..."

That didn't really sound like him, Rose thought, but didn't ask again. Instead, she motioned towards the circle of logs, where Mr. Hardy, Clara Oswald, and Steve were sitting. "Weren't we heading there?"

Nodding in agreement, he started to hurry towards the campfire that had yet to actually be a fire. Rose followed more slowly, not wanting to spill her food. When she got there, the Doctor was crouching by the pile of wood, matchbox in hand. He looked frustrated. Steve and Mr. Hardy were both snickering. Clara was just grinning. "This is stupid, I think it's broken," the Doctor growled.

"Rubbish," Clara laughed. "You just can't light a match for your life."

Giggling, Rose sat down her plate and walked up to the Doctor, lightly taking the matchbox and match from his grip. He huffed at sat back, his eyes narrowed. She scraped the match against the side and it instantly lit up. She leaned forward and stuck her hand inside to catch the dried up leaves. A fire instantly sprung up. The Doctor stared at her in exasperation. "What!"

Everyone there, except for the Doctor, burst out laughing. "_What?_" He repeated, running a hand through his hair. Rose giggled and handed him the box, waving the match up and down to put it out. The Doctor huffed and stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now _that- _that's rubbish!"

Still chuckling, Steve stood up. "Where's Lollipop?" He asked, glancing around.

"I think she went into the counselors cabin," Rose suggested. Nodding, Steve left to go check. Clara stood up, brushing off the back of her pants.

"Rose, Doctor, will you two help me set out the food?"

XXX

It took them nearly half an hour to get everything out. By then, many of the campers were outside and complaining they were hungry. Mr. Hardy (Rose would have to find out his first name; calling him Mr. Hardy was getting dull) was trying to entertain them. As soon as Clara told them that the food was ready, all the campers surrounded the tables. The Doctor and Rose squeezed their way out, both laughing when they finally broke away from the crowd. He pushed her lightly on her back, pointing towards the counselors cabin. "I need to get something- come with me?" He said it with a squeak in his voice. He was obviously still worried she was going to reject him.

Rose nodded and the Doctor instantly took off, trying to run, but Rose grabbed for his hand. He slowed down, frowning. "What is it?"

Swallowing, she nodded towards the cabin. The Doctor stuffed his hand into his pockets, arching an eyebrow at her. They continued walking slowly towards the cabin. "I was just wondering- I mean, not to be nosy, or anything like that but... you and Reinette? Are you two still...?"

The Doctor glanced away, his jaw clenching a little. "No," he sighed after a few minutes. He opened the door to the cabin for her.

"Oh... how come?"

The Doctor snorted, "I think you know." Rose felt blood rush to her cheeks. The Doctor smirked in amusement, glancing away. "Stay here," he said, when she didn't reply. Rose nodded, watching him scuttle into a room and shut the door behind him. Alone for the moment, Rose glanced around the room. It was, obviously, the biggest of all the cabins. There was an old white phone hanging on the wall next to the door. A laptop sat on a cherry wood desk to the left. The room she currently stood in was spacious. Several doors lined the wall next to the room the Doctor had entered. Most of them were labeled with names, several of which that Rose didn't recognize (Amelia, Luke, and Adam).

Shuffling towards a cabinet that sat on top of a desk-thing, she lightly pulled open the large door, curiosity getting the better of her. The top shelf was stacked with several different kind of books. The next one down had pictures frames. Rose grinned at the middle one. It was one of all the counselors of this year together. Clara was doing some sort of superhero pose, while the Doctor stuck his tongue out of her. Kaylee was giving bunny ears to a ginger woman. Steve was sitting on the ground, looking mock annoyed while Mr. Hardy (Luke?) and a young looking boy with short brown hair messed with Steve's hair. Reinette, Rose noticed with a small sigh, had her arms wrapped around the Doctor, an affectionate look in her eyes.

"Well, _that's _a little nosy."

Rose jumped, gasping and swirling around on her heels to look at the Doctor. She opened her mouth to apologize, but nothing came out. He was no longer wearing his green counselors suit, but had changed into an actual suit- a brown pinstriped one with a tie. His hair was gelled up even more than usual.

"Well?" He grinned, stuffing his hands into his pockets and twisting around to show her. "What do you think?"

"Looks brilliant," Rose grinned. "Is it new?"

"Yup. Just got it today. Steve ordered it online for me. Thought I'd look better in it than the green one."

"I think it looks better, yeah," she agreed, studying him. Feeling a blush rising up to her cheeks, she pointed to the door. "Well, we had better get going," she said quickly.

The Doctor smirked at her reaction, waggling his eyebrows. Rose scowled at him, making him chuckle. He crossed the room, hopping towards the door. Rose smirked, looking him over again from the backside. Yeah, he definitely looked better in that suit.

**A/N: Sorry for the long-ish wait. I've been a bit busy. *awkwardly shuffles into the shadows*  
**

** I don't know when the next chapter will be up, since school starts soon...ish and stuff, but I'll try~  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This chapter was really fun to write. It's my favorite, for some reason, despite it being shorter than other chapters. :3 I just hope you all enjoy it. ^^**

It took about a week before they- the Doctor and Rose- were completely, 100% normal around each other again. A week before they could laugh and talk together without that speck of worry and doubt sparkling in their eyes. It was about one more week until they were constantly hugging and holding hands every chance they got. They'd been questioned about it quite a few times, to which they'd both simultaneously respond with a quick, "just friends!" and the Doctor would add with a grin, "the best of," and then drag her away to some activity or something- anything to get them out of truthfully answering the question.

It only took one more week until they both threw their hands up in the air with a frustrated "screw it!" and ended up snogging each other senseless, alone in the kitchen storage room. Every once in a while, when he got the change and they were well-y and truly alone, the Doctor would steal a short kiss that always left Rose breathless and a little wobbly in the knees. The Doctor would then saunter off, looking ever so wonderful in that brown suit of his.

Currently, Rose was sitting around the campfire, a cup of hot chocolate in hand and a blanket strewn across her shoulders, which was beginning to slip off. The Doctor was half asleep on her shoulder, watching Kaylee poke at the crackling fire with half closed eyes. It was a colder night than usual. The only people still up and about were the counselors and Rose. Only Kaylee, Clara, Rose and the Doctor sat around the fire. She wasn't sure where everyone else had gone off to. The Doctor suddenly twitched, jerking his head up and examining the area with unblinking eyes, as if he were trying to stay awake. Giggling, Rose ran a hand through his messed up hair. He grinned and laid his head on her shoulder again. It didn't take long before he fell asleep, deaf to any words that would be shared.

"So," Kaylee chirped when she was positive the Doctor was out cold. "What have you two been up to lately?"

Rose glanced up from the Doctor, holding her breath uncertainly. "Hm?" She croaked. Clara glanced up from the notebook in her lap, suddenly seeming interested in the topic. Rose bit the inside of her cheek, nervously rubbing her hands together.

Clara snorted, "Oh, come on! There's something going on between you two, isn't there? Ever since that lump," she gestured towards the sleeping form of the Doctor, who had moved to lay down on the log using his hands as a pillow, "broke up with Reinette, he spends every waking moment with you! Don't say there's nothing going on."

Rose tried to think of something to say in response, something other than 'we're just friends, honestly', but Kaylee spoke first. "You two are playing a dangerous game," she warned, her eyes trained on the Doctor. Rose glanced down at him again and couldn't help the affectionate grin that spread across her face. He had curled into a ball, hugging his knees to his to his chest. His breathing was slow and steady and his hair fell in front of his closed eyes. He looked different in his sleep. She mentioned this to Kaylee, who shrugged, her face carry a hint of sympathy for the Doctor.

"He's got sad history," she explained, frowning. The frown quickly faded into a grin. "Anyway, tell us if there's anything between you guys, and we won't tell Steve."

"Steve doesn't know?"

"Definitely not," Clara said. "He'd have you both kicked out of camp before either of you could say sorry."

Rose sighed. "I honestly don't know," she said, earning a surprised sniff from the two women. Kaylee raised an eyebrow.

"How can you not know?" She asked, putting down the stick she'd been using to shift the logs in the fire. Rose shrugged, a helpless expression on her face.

"I dunno', I mean, he does a lot of teasing n' stuff," Rose explained, resting her chin in her hands. Clara laughed a little, nodding.

"Sounds like him," she chuckled. Kaylee smirked, but didn't reply.

"So you're not going to say anything, yeah?" Rose confirmed. "To Steve, I mean?"

Kaylee grinned, "Guess not. After all, what fun would it be if you two left?"

"Wouldn't have anyone else to tease," Clara added, sticking out her tongue. Rose rolled her eyes and glanced once more at the Doctor before shaking him awake. He groaned and sat up. Kaylee and Clara ended up having to drag him towards the counselors cabin. Giggling, Rose said goodnight, and hurried to her own cabin to get some sleep.

XXX

"Rose?"

A cold hand rested on her shoulder, shaking her a little. She groaned, pulling the cover up and over her chin. "Rose, wake up," the Doctor hissed again. Sighing, Rose sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. She eyed the Doctor who sat back on his heels, staring at her. He said nothing.

"What is it?"

"I can't sleep."

Rose frowned, glancing around the room. "What time is it?"

"Two-thirty," he smiled sheepishly, raking a hand through his hair. He shifted so he was sitting crisscross applesauce. Rose yawned, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Have you actually tried falling asleep?"

"Yes. Tried talkin' to Kaylee, but she waved me off. I read a book- a whole book. Then I watched a movie... _Star Trek_, actually, the most recent one, _Into the Darkness _with that one bloke... Benedict Cumberbatch. Good actor, he is. He's in Sherlock too. Sherlock! Never seen it, but he must be pretty talented if-"

Rose's giggle cut him off. He smiled, seemingly pleased he'd gotten a giggle out of her, even in her tired state. Silence descended upon them for a few moments. Rose watched the Doctor examine the cabin as if he'd never seen the inside before. "It's different," he commented suddenly. Rose looked around, confused. It looked the same to her.

"Good different or bad different?"

"Just different," he shrugged. "But it smells like you."

Rose snorted in amusement. "What do I smell like?"

He put on a thinking face and cocked his head. "Uhm... Caramel and Vanilla," he grinned as if proud of what he'd said. Rolling her eyes, Rose shifted into the position he had taken and rested her chin in her hands. He stared at her, his smile eventually fading until it was more of a sad frown.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." he said slowly, looking away. Rose hated when he did that. When he tried to edge away from certain subjects like they were fire and he'd be burnt by touching them. Scowling, Rose slipped from the bed, in front of him. She took his hand, rubbing her thumbs over his knuckles. He sighed, "I don't know, Rose. I'm just... scared," he cringed like admitting he was scared was some terrible thing.

"Of what?"

He stared at her hands, looking worn down. "Everything I guess," he admitted after a few moments. "Of Steve, mostly. I don't want to lose my job or anything... my best friends are here, and I mean, Kaylee and I and Clara, and well, everyone... we live so far apart..." he wrinkled his nose, taking his hands away from hers and laying them in his lap.

"He won't find out," Rose assured him, frowning. He nodded slowly, then yawned, his eyes half closed. "Hey, Doctor," she said slowly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I was just wondering... I mean, Kaylee said you had a sad history... what did she mean by that?" He twitched, frowning, and stared at her for a few seconds before suddenly leaping to his feet.

"Well, thanks for that!" He chirped. "Feelin' better now. And by better, I mean tired." He frowned for a few moments before shrugging. "Anyway, night," he said, before turning around on his heels and quickly leaving the room. Rose sighed. He was certainly good at getting out of conversations he wasn't wanting to talk about in depth . Shaking her head, she climbed back into bed after turning off the light the Doctor must have turned on, and quickly fell back asleep.

XXX

"Try this."

The Doctor was lifting a fork to her mouth, a grin plastered across his face. Rose wrinkled her nose at the food. "What is it?"

"Just try it, it's good," he insisted. Kaylee snorted, from behind the Doctor. 'Don't,' she mouthed and scampered off to the opposite side of the room towards the fridge. Holding her breath and pinching shut her nose, she opened her mouth to try it. Forcing herself to swallow, she began coughing. The Doctor laughed, scooping up a bit of the food into his own mouth.

"Ick!" She gasped, putting the back of her hand to her lips. The food- whatever it was- was cold, hard, and bitter. The Doctor was eating it easily enough.

"Told you," Kaylee said from the opposite end of the room. The Doctor stuck his tongue out of her. The giggles that followed from the three of them were cut off as the back door opened, revealing a very upset looking counselor. The Doctor stiffened, his eyes narrowing.

"What's wrong, Steve?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Steve scowled and pointed to the door, his other hand clenched at his side.

"I need to speak with you, John."

Rose swallowed nervously. She knew that Steve rarely called other counselors by their first name unless he was angry or something. The Doctor seemed nervous too, because his eyes had gone wide. Nodding, he set down his plate and, without a word, followed Steve outside. Rose stared at the now-closed door, her mouth hanging open a little. Kaylee seemed just as shocked.

"Blimey, wonder what's happened?"

"I don't know," Rose whispered, but she had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

**A/N: Guys! There's only a few chapters left after this! Like, two or three, maybe? Ugh, that makes me sad... I've had such fun writing this!**


	8. Chapter 8

When the Doctor didn't come back after half an hour of waiting impatiently in the kitchen, Rose went out in search for him. She instinctively headed towards the counselors cabin, as that's where he seemed to be whenever she had trouble finding him. She quickly walked up to the door labeled 'John' and knocked out a four beat rhythm. When nobody answered, she carefully eased the door open, not wanting to wake him if he had fallen asleep. She nearly laughed out loud when she saw his room. Typical geek, really. Old movie posters scattered the walls (Star Trek, Star Wars, etc). The bed, which the Doctor was not lying on, was messy and unmade. On the bed stand was a pile of comic books that looked like they had been read too many times. The corners of the covers were bent and the words on the front page were unreadable. There were several action figures from movies that Rose couldn't name lining the dresser.

But the thing that really caught her eyes was a particular book that was laying on his desk. Frowning, she closed the door and crept forward, her eyes scanning the room. The Doctor was nowhere to be seen. Pulling out the chair of the desk, she opened the cover labeled 'Photo Album'. Immediately a smile lit up her face. There was a photo of a little boy- one who looked very much like the Doctor- holding up a boy scouts badge with a huge smile on his face. An older woman with brown hair, which was twisted up into a bun, was gazing at the boy with a grin that proudly read 'mother'. The Doctor must have been about five or six in the photo. The photo on the next page over was one of the whole family (or so she was guessing). The Doctor was sitting in front of a fireplace, a present in his hands. He looked to be trying to strike some sort of superhero pose. His mother sat to his right and the man she assumed to be his father was to his left, holding a little girl in his hands.

She turned the page and chuckled. The Doctor had a paint bucket over his head, his father standing up high on a ladder and looking down at him with a wide grin. There seemed to be a tree house in the making. The next; The Doctor, looking about seven in the photo, was teasing the girl Rose assumed to be his sister. She turned the page once more and the smell fell from her lips. There was the Doctor again, of course, except he was hiding behind a lady that looked very stern. The photo seemed to be mainly focused on the Doctor. His eyes were wide and he looked liked he'd been through hell. Frowning, her eyes lept to the next photo and her heart sunk. It was a zoomed out photo of the one on the opposite page, and she could properly see the building. In big white letters the word 'orphanage' was spelled out.

What had happened? There was no way his parents would have abandoned him. She jerked her head up as she heard someone fumbling to open the door. Quietly as she could, she closed the photo album and quickly climbed from the chair, trying not to make any loud noises. She scurried towards the bed and sat down. It was a bit tall- her feet didn't quite touch the floor. When the door was finally pushed open, the Doctor stumbled in, a bunch of boxes in his arms. His eyes met hers, blinking in surprise.

"Hello," he said, placing the boxes down onto the desk. His eyes drifted from Rose to the desk, where the photo album was. Looking uneasy, the Doctor snatched it up and stuffed it into the drawer before turning back to Rose. She figured it best not to ask what had happened- not now, anyway. He stared at her when she didn't answer, rocking back on his heels and stuffing his hands into his pockets. He looked nervous and upset. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Was just wonderin' what Steve said..." she bit down on her lip. The Doctor's face went blank and he glanced down at the floor.

"Well, he knows," the Doctor mumbled, crossing the room to sit on the bed next to her. She was a little surprised when he pulled her into his lap, tucking her head under his chin after giving her forehead a quick kiss.

"And?"

"And... he wasn't happy."

"Understandable."

"Yeah," the Doctor laughed lightly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. She tried to read the expression on his face, but came up unsuccessful. He was painfully good at hiding his emotions. "Although," he suddenly piped up, "you know what he did say?"

"What?"

"He said he might not fire me. I think that's good. Is that a good thing?"

"That's good," she laughed. He grinned and snaked his arms around her waist. She immediately let out a small gasp and wriggled in his grip. He froze, staring at her with wide, amused eyes.

"Is someone ticklish?"

"No!" She cried out when he fingers ghosted across her waist, sending her streaking across the room. She nearly crashed into the desk, only just avoiding at it. The Doctor threw his head back and laughed, his face lit up. She couldn't help but grin. Suddenly, a thought came to mind, and the smile was quickly lost, replaced by a confused frown. The Doctor cocked his head.

"What?"

"How did he find out? Steve, I mean? Clara and Kaylee wouldn't have told him..."

"I was wondering the same thing," he admitted, his voice dying down to a whisper as someone's voice could be heard. Rose focused on the door, waiting to see if anyone would knock. No one did. Rose turned back to face the Doctor, an eyebrow raised.

"And?"

An uncomfortable look crossed his face. "I _think _Reinette ratted us out."

Rose couldn't help but giggle, rewarded with the Doctor's confused frown. "You make it sound top secret, 'ratted us out'." He shrugged, chuckling a little, but it gave away to a sigh. "What if he does fire me?" He groaned, falling back onto the bed. He pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes, letting out an upset whimper.

"Honestly, I don't think he will. You're a bit too good at your job for that."

"Maybe," he sighed, shrugging helplessly. Rose glanced at him sympathetically, walking back to the bedside. She patted his stomach, making him jump a little. "I don't know what to do," he admitted after a few moments of silence. His voice was low and he sounded upset. Rose sighed, sitting in his bed and fidgeting with her fingers in her lap.

"Not much you can do, really. Just see what happens. Besides, foods gonna' be ready soon, and I don't know 'bout you, but I'm starving."

The Doctor cast her an amused glance before sitting up and reached for her hand. "C'mon then!"

XXX

Dinner was delicious. Clara had gone shopping in a nearby town (nearby being a couple hours away), so there's was lots to eat. The Doctor had cheerfully stocked Rose's plate with whatever he pleased, despite her playful protests and smacks to his arm. They were sitting side by side on Rose's porch, eating from the same plate. He had stocked the plate with a bunch of chocolate chip cookies. He stuffed one after another into his mouth, ignoring all the other food on the plate.

"Don't come crying to me when you get a stomach ache," Rose sighed, popping a spoonful of jello into her mouth.

"I don't get stomach aches," he argued, biting into a cookie.

Rose scoffed, rolling her eyes and glanced over at the campfire area. Steve hadn't shown up to tell any stories, like usual. That had worried the Doctor and Rose had spent ten minutes trying to calm him down. Wrinkling her nose, she pushed the plate towards the Doctor.

"You're not gonna' eat that?" He asked, staring hungrily at what was left on the plate.

"No." Immediately, the Doctor snatched a chicken leg from the plate and bit into a chicken leg. When he was finished with everything, he leaned back, turning to look at her.

"You know, I don't know much about you," he said suddenly, raising an eyebrow. "Like, I dunno', siblings? Your parents?"

"No siblings. My mum would scare the hell out of you," she laughed at the thought, imagining the Doctor backed up against the wall, wide-eyed, with Jackie standing in front of him, telling him off.

He grinned in amusement. "And your dad?"

Rose sniffed, looking away. "I never knew my dad. He died was I was just a baby."

The Doctor descended into silence, looking both embarrassed and sympathetic. "Sorry...mine too."

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. The Doctor shrugged, suddenly looking uncomfortable. The Doctor chewed on his lower lip, looking out towards the fire.

"You saw the photo album, didn't you." It wasn't really a question.

"Yeah," she admitted rather sheepishly. The Doctor let out a long sigh, causing Rose to wince. She expected him to be angry with her. She honestly deserved it, invading his privacy like that.

"Do you want to know what happened?"

"A little..."

He arched an eyebrow at her. Rose sighed, "Alright, yes, a lot." A look of uncertainty passed through his eyes and he looked away, running a hand through his hair.

"My family... they're gone... but you already guessed that." Rose didn't reply. She reached for his hand, entwining their fingers. He seemed to appreciate the little comfort she offered. He squeezed her hand with a sigh. "I used to live in Scotland- I grew up there. The town I lived in..." he took a deep breath, wincing, and started again.

"The town- it was peaceful. I mean, nothing ever happens there really. But it was safe... usually. My parents, they left my sister and I home. I can't remember why, but they were going out the eat," his voiced hitched, but he continued on quickly. "And there was a shooting. They weren't even robbing the place- they just _liked _threatening people, making them cry, killing them." He'd drawn his legs up to his chest, shaking a little. "They- the people, they brought my parents_ back _to the house. I don't know why- to torture us, maybe? They shot my parents several times each. Alice, my sister, she was screaming, alerting the neighbors. I had hidden under the table. I watched them, without saying a word, as they _murdered _both my parents and my sister."

Rose could only stare. She didn't think she'd ever heard somebody hate themselves as much as the Doctor did. Her heart ached. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like.

"There was blood everywhere," he added, shaking his head slowly. "I should have realized that they were late coming home, I should have... I should...I should have died with them."

"_No!_" Rose gasped, wincing. "No, you shouldn't have. It isn't your fault. Remember that, yeah? Not your fault." The Doctor didn't responded. Rose knew she hadn't convinced him otherwise, and she probably wasn't going to either. She scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and breathing in his scent. "Doctor, there wasn't anything you could have done, you were a kid," she sighed, burying her face into his chest. He pulled her close to him, into his lap. Rose closed her eyes, listening to the soothing beating of his heart. It was quicker than usual.

The Doctor tucked her head under his chin and sighed, rocking her gently in his arms. "I know," he mumbled, but he still didn't sound very convinced.

XXX

When Rose woke up, she was tucked into her bed, feeling hot and sticky. Someone was knocking on her door. "Er, come in!" She said, running a hand through her hair. The door opened, revealing a very tired look Kaylee. She had a frustrated expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Rose mumbled, slowly sitting upright. Kaylee shut the door, shrugged, and slumped to the floor, sighing.

"Nothing really. Besides the fact that Steve won't talk to the Doctor, the Doctor's panicking because he believes he's going to be fired, Steve won't make up his mind, and a lot of the campers are getting frustrated with having to stay here at camp because the Doctor's not allowed to leave. Oh- and Reinette's the one who told Steve about you two, but you guys probably already guessed that."

"Bad day?" Rose guessed, climbing awkwardly from the bed and stumbling towards her duffel bag, quickly changing into day clothes. "Well, what do you think?" Rose asked.

"What do I think about what?"

"Do you think he's going to be fired?"

"I'm not sure. It's all a bit frustrated. Wibbly wobbly as the Doctor would say."

Rose laughed sleepily, straightening up. "Why don't we go talk to Steve?"

"Already tried, and I don't think it would end well if you attempted."

"Fair enough."

Kaylee nodded and went silent for a few seconds, her head bent. "Rose," she sighed, "I'm honestly not sure if the Doctor can get his way out of this... he could very well be fired, and I don't think anyone can do anything about it..."

**A/N: Gah, this was rushed, I'm sorry! The next chapter won't really have much to do with the plot (unless I change my mind) but after that there should only be one chapter. :c**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Wowow, okay, this took way longer than I intended. School has been dragging me away, I'm so sorry! Also, you can tell when I just sort of went 'screw it' and started rushing to get to the end of the chapter. Ahh! Apologies! I hope you enjoy it a little, anyway. c:**

The next few days progressed normally. Well, as far as normal went at camp, anyway. While, Steve still kept his distance from the Doctor, and both Kaylee and the Doctor had sudden outbursts (of both anger and worry), everything else remained calm and fairly uneventful. It seemed to Rose that Steve was taking an awful long time in making his decision. It left everyone on edge. By then, almost everyone at camp knew what had happened, and they took it upon themselves to make it obvious that they knew. Rose would be taking a stroll, trying to calm herself down, and some of the campers, especially those younger than fifteen, would scowl at her and turn their backs. She ignored it.

At the moment, it was pouring with rain. It had began nearly half an hour ago. Rose was tucked up inside her cabin, bored out of her skull. The sound of the rain slapping against the roof was driving her insane. She needed company, but no one really dared to venture out into the storm, since the wind was especially vicious tonight. It had been a long time since there had been a storm this big and it had a lot of people worried. Rose, on the other hand, knew it would pass eventually. She doubted anything would happen. Sighing, she plucked at the fluff on the carpet, her legs crossed. In her left hand, she held a glass of cold water. She had changed into her plaid pajamas and light red socks. She jumped as someone knocked on the door, the water sploshing in the glass and spilling onto her skin.

Confused, she set down the glass and stood up, starting towards the door. Who was stupid enough to come out here during a storm like this? She knew the answer to that. Pulling the door open just a little, she cracked a grin. The Doctor stood on the front porch, his eyes wide. His hair was drenched, hanging in front of his face- much like the day they had gone to the lake. "Hello," she smiled, staring at his drenched form. He shivered, running a hand through his hair.

"Hi," he squeaked. His bangs dangled in front of his face, so he tossed his head to get them to stay back. Rose looked him up and down, examining him in amusement. Finally, she turned her attention back to face, batting her eyelashes at him innocently.

"Is there something you needed?"

The Doctor stared at her in a bit of shock, his mouth agape. He looked nervous, probably afraid she wasn't going to let him in. Rose couldn't help but laugh as she opened the door wider for him to step inside. Grinning, he slipped into the cabin, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Shoes off," Rose commanded, moving back to where she was sitting. The Doctor obliged, kicking off his sand colored converse and plopping down onto the floor, yawning. Rose smiled as her eyes caught his socks, which were a dark blue with little yellow stars printed on them. "You alright?" She asked, casting him a worried frown. The Doctor shook his head, pulling at his earlobe.

"I'm always alright. Although, while you've been cooped up in here having a lazy day, things have been happening," he mumbled, beginning to dig through his pockets. He eventually pulled out an envelope and a piece of paper.

"How did you fit that in there without crumpling them up?"

"They're bigger on the inside," he grinned, holding out the items towards her. He offered her no other explanation. Snorting, she took them from his grip, raising an eyebrow.

"'n what's this for then?"

"A letter. To your mum. All the campers have to write one."

Rose sighed and dug through her duffel bag for a pen. "So," she said while she looked for the writing utensil, "what's happened while I've been 'ere in my cabin?" She started to scribble words onto the paper. The Doctor stared at her for a moment, biting into his lip. He shook his head again, causing water to splatter everywhere. Rose sent him annoyed look. He just chuckled, then sighed again.

"It doesn't matter," he mumbled. He scooted over besides her, peering over her shoulder. Rose glanced at him in amusement, shoving her shoulder against his. He smirked at her.

"Watcha' gonna' say?" He asked, his eyes drifting over to her duffel bag. He pushed his way over towards it and began digging through its contents.

"I dunno'. Usual I guess. How I miss 'er and everythin'."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully, then to her surprise, whipped out her water bottle and all but smacked her in the face. Rose reared back in surprise, causing the Doctor to let out a low chuckle. He apologized before holding out the bottle. "It's weird that we met so many weeks ago," he said quietly, examining the bottle. Rose smiled, nodding in agreement.

"What has it been? A month?"

"Somewhere around that, yeah." He shook the bottle in a circular motion and the small amount of water inside of it created a tiny tornado.

"There," Rose sniffed after a few minutes of silence. She handed the envelope and paper to the Doctor. He took it and scanned it over with his eyes. Before he could manage to find the correct words to ask the question that was undoubtedly on his mind, she quickly tried to explain what the letter lacked. "My mum would more than likely _not _appreciate any mentions of a new boyfriend." The words boyfriend sounded weird on her tongue, and for some reason, it wasn't really what Rose would describe the Doctor as. She couldn't think of the proper word however, so she left it as that.

He frowned, tucking the piece of paper inside of the envelope and licking the tab at the top to close it. "How come?"

"She's been real overprotective since this one guy I dated..." Rose paused, biting her lip. The Doctor wasn't one to get jealous, was he? Talking about this wouldn't upset him? But he was staring at her with his normal curious expression as tucked the letter away, no signs of envy or annoyance on his features. "Jimmy Stone. I was gonna' move out with him- did at first- but... well, long-story short, I was in tears by the end. So I had to move back in with my mum. It took me a while to trust guys enough to even be friends with 'em. It just sort of upset my mum. I had a boyfriend, Mickey, and my mum didn't trust him much, or didn't like 'im, so I broke up with 'im. We're still friends."

She took a deep breath, folding her arms with a sigh. The Doctor nodded thoughtfully before seemingly accepting her explanation and standing up to move to her bed. He collapsed on top of it with a relieved sigh. Rolling her eyes in affection for the man, she stood up and made a small 'move' motion with her hands. He shuffled sideways, his arms folded behind his head. Rose turned out the light and ruffled his hair.

"Rest," she told him, laying down on the bed in the small space still available. "You need it." He turned his head to face her, a smile spreading across his face. He leaned down at placed a short kiss on her lips (one that made her heart flutter and her wits scatter) before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. "You're soaked," she mumbled quietly. "And cold."

He laughed lightly. "Sorry, you left me standing in the rain."

"Oops," she chuckled. He pressed his lips against her forehead and in no time, they were both asleep with Rose curled up against the Doctor's side.

XXX

The Doctor was using his long tongue to lap at the quickly melting popsicle in his grip. He had a look of concentration plastered across his adorable face. Rose held her own popsicle in her hand, sitting next to him. He had an arm draped over her shoulder. _They _weren't exactly a secret anymore. She wondered if they ever had been. Most of the counselors (spare Reinette, Steve, and Amelia, who Rose suspected had a crush on the Doctor) actually seemed to enjoy them as a couple. Rose would get a nasty look from some of the female campers every once in a while, just like the Doctor would get a cold look from the guys. They both ignored it.

The Doctor finally finished his treat and flung the stick into the blazing fire crackling in front of them. It was around seven (a.m) and the sun was only just starting to show. A few campers had gathered around the fire with plates stacked with food in their laps. Rose had already eaten breakfast.

"A popsicle isn't very healthy," Kaylee commented, sitting down diagonal from them with a plate in one hand and her radio in the other. The Doctor shrugged, flashing the counselor a grin. His teeth, lips, and tongue were stained blue. Rose snickered, rolling her eyes. Reinette was sitting straight across from them, talking in a low whisper to Adam. Rose couldn't help but wonder what they could be talking about.

"Do you know what you're doing today?" The Doctor asked suddenly, tilting his head. Kaylee nodded, popping a piece of watermelon into her mouth. She took a minute to swallow before answering his question.

"We- we being Steve and I- thought about a water fight," she said, grinning. "It's meant to be pretty hot today, and we've got water balloons and water guns somewhere."

"Sounds fun," the Doctor smiled, but he looked a bit sad. Chances were, Steve wouldn't allow him to participate, and Rose knew he would _love_ to join. His main target would undoubtedly be Kaylee. Rose sighed and turned her head towards the counselors cabin, where Steve stood outside. He was staring at them. When he realized Rose was staring back, he cracked a small, barely noticeable smile. Rose looked down at her lap, a little upset with the man.

"We were going to start in about an hour," Kaylee continued, putting her plate onto the ground.

"I'm not gonna' join," Rose said quickly, earning a relieved look from the Doctor.

"Yes you are." Rose jerked her head up in surprise. Steve was standing over her with a stern expression on his face. How had he gotten over here so fast? "You're still a camper," he said. "You haven't got a choice in the matter. You'll be there with everyone else. Besides, we're doing it here. So you might as well go get ready now."

XXX

Much to Steve's distaste, the Doctor had followed Rose to her cabin. She'd changed quickly into her yellow swimsuit. The Doctor was lying face down on the bed, his face in the pillows. Rose cast him a sympathetic look, even if he couldn't see it.

"I'm sure Steve will settle on a decision soon," she said softly, running a hand through her hair. He groaned and shrugged before turning his head to examine her, looking her up and down.

"You are beautiful," he said quietly after a moment. Rose felt a blush rising to her cheeks and ducked her head to hide it, her hair falling in front of her face. Chuckling under his breath, the Doctor stood up, reaching for her hand. He entwined their fingers and began to tug her towards the door. "I'll watch from the porch," he decided when they were outside. Several campers were standing outside in swimsuits already, talking in groups. Rose didn't fail to notice the looks she got from the guys. It was beginning to get hard to ignore.

To get them to look away, she stood up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to the Doctor's cheek and ruffled his hair affectionately. He smiled and let her hand go and she hoped down the porch stairs, feeling the Doctor's gaze burning into her back. Kaylee sauntered up to her, wearing a red one-piece swim suit that revealed her skin in a diamond shape on her back. It tied at the back of her neck.

"Your hair!" Rose gasped in surprise. The color had once been a reddish-brown. It was now full out ginger. Kaylee grinned and nodded.

"I had enough time to dye it," she chirped, running a hand through the recently colored hair. It was still wet, and it clung to her skin. Rose grinned.

"It looks great," she laughed. "I bet the Doctor will be jealous," she added, remembering him mention how much he loved ginger hair.

Kaylee giggled and nodded. "Ah, yes. I can already see him touching it. Non-stop."

"And trying to cut it off your head and stick it on his own," Rose nodded, and they both laughed.

Clara suddenly come up to them, dressed in her normal clothing. "Hey! Steve wants to start early."

"Are you not joining?" Rose asked, glancing to where the Doctor was sitting, looking rather lonely. It would be nice if Clara would be there to talk to him.

"Only because I'm not well again," Clara explained.

"Oh."

The brunette nodded, then grabbed their wrists and began to drag them towards the center, where the groups of kids were beginning to gather and form a circle around Steve. The counselor was listing off rules. Rose was spacing off, not really caring. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, Clara and Luke (Hardy) brought out two large buckets filled with huge water guns and filled water balloons. Rose's attention was snapped back to the topic when Steve blew a loud, ear-piercing whistle. Instantly, people became scrambling towards the two buckets. Rose yelped and ducked as a water balloon flew past her head. She eventually managed to snatch a water gun. She scampered to the back of the cabin, pressing herself up against it. She managed to just keep back a scream as Kaylee rounded the corner, water gun in hand, and stood next to Rose, flashing her a grin.

"Thought we could team up," she said, holding up her gun and pointing it into the air. Rose nodded in agreement, smiling. Kaylee poked her head around the corner of the cabin again, staring out at the space. Rose could hear a few people yelling and laughing.

"I was thinking we could aim for Steve?"

Rose nodded slowly, frowning. "Or the Doctor."

"He's not allowed the join..." Kaylee reminded her, a confused expression on her features.

Rose smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, he's not."

Kaylee stared at her for a few seconds. "Alright," she said simply, and hoped from foot to foot to the other end of the cabin. Rose chuckled and followed her, peering around the corner. The Doctor was sitting on the front steps of her cabin, looking down at his hands.

"Poor guy looks left out," Kaylee stuck out her lower lip, glancing at Rose.

"Well, we better go fix that then, shouldn't we?"

"Definitely."

They scampered along the edge of the camp sites boarder so the Doctor was unable to see them. Rose's bathing suit was incredibly bright against the dark green forest, she was surprised it didn't catch the man's attention. They snuck to the back of the Rose's cabin and stayed there for a couple second. Kaylee bit into her lip.

"You go left, I go right?" She suggested. Rose nodded in agreement and moved to the left of the cabin. "Ready?"

"Always," Rose grinned and they both bolted into the open. Kaylee was the first to shoot her water gun. The Doctor made a yelping noise in the back of his throat and jumped to his feet, nearly falling down the rest of the stairs. Rose giggled and squirted him with her own gun, hitting him in the face. He spluttered, spitting the water from his mouth.

"Oi!" He called out, holding up his hands as a shield. He was dissolving into laughter, his clothing soaked.

Kaylee snorted, rolling her eyes. "That's going to help." It wasn't long before several other kids who had watched Kaylee and Rose's assault began throwing water balloons and shooting him with water guns. T. Rose couldn't help but burst out laughing, lowering the water gun to her side as she tried to calm down enough to start squirting him again. The Doctor took that as an invitation to jump down from the porch steps to Rose's side and attack her stomach with his fingers. Rose let out a shriek and laughed harder, tumbling to the ground. The Doctor followed, continuing to assault her stomach. She squirmed under his form, trying to push his wet body away from her own, but her arms were shaking from laughing too hard and refused to cooperate.

"Stop!" She gasped out through giggles, grinning at the Doctor. He looked up at her, smirking. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose could see Steve approaching them. She could feel the anger coming off him in waves. The Doctor sighed as Steve stopped besides them, his arms folded across his chest. Something flickered in the Doctor's gaze and he leaned forward, close enough that their noses were touching. Rose stared at him in surprise. He wasn't honestly planning on kissing her in front of Steve and all these people. He seemed to consider it for a few moments, his gaze meeting her own. Steve cleared his throat and, with another sigh, the Doctor sat back, rising to his feet.

His hand wrapped around Rose's and he tugged her up to her feet, one hand resting on her waist. He stared at her for a few more seconds, his eyes glazed over with annoyance and anger.

"Did you hear me?"

The Doctor's gaze snapped to Steve, his eyes narrowed. "What?" He grumbled, releasing Rose and shoving his hands into his pockets. Rose folds in her arms across her stomach. While Kaylee had said that it would be warm today, the wind had picked up. Goosebumps covered Rose's arms and legs and she closed her eyes shivering a little. The Doctor must have notice because, despite Steve, he wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her close to his side, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. Rose felt guilt clawing at her throat. What if involving him in the water fight got him fired? It would be Rose's fault.

Steve and the Doctor were talking again, but Rose found she was unable to pay attention. What if she _did _get the Doctor fired? She was pretty sure the Doctor would hate her, if he ever even saw her again. It was obvious he loved this job, and Rose believed that if he was taken away from it and his friends, he'd have nothing left. A soft tug on her arm pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced up at the Doctor, swallowing.

"Hm?" She managed out, then took a look around. Kaylee was sitting on her porch, staring down at the ground. The campers had cleared the area- probably gone back into their own cabins. Steve was walking out towards the forest.

"Come on," the Doctor said quietly. He lead the way towards the counselors cabin without a word. Rose stared up at him, biting down on her lip.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out as they came to the front door. The Doctor paused with his hand on the handle, turning his head to look at her.

"For what?"

"I shouldn't have... I know this job is everything to you, and losing it would crush you and it would be my fault and..." she trailed off, looking down at the ground. She could feel salty tears stinging her cheeks and sniffed, squeezing her eyes shut tight. If the Doctor was going to yell at her, she didn't want to be looking at him when he did.

It was silent for a long moment. She almost wondered if he had actually gone inside the cabin and left her outside, but suddenly, his thumb was brushing against her cheek, wiping away a tear.

"Rose, Rose," he mumbled softly, pressing a kiss into her hair and wrapping his arms around her. Rose buried her face into his chest, staring blankly towards her own cabin. "It wouldn't be your fault-"

"But it would!" Rose groaned, pulling back. The Doctor's hands moved up her arms to her shoulders.

He shook his head, sighing. "If anyone's fault, it would be mine," he mumbled, cupping her cheeks. Rose turned her gaze to the ground, shaking her head slowly. He leaned forward and kissed her hair again before turning around and finally opening the door to the cabin. "Go on," he said, pushing on her back. Sighing, Rose walked into the front room and collapsed onto the couch, burying her face into a cushion to muffle her sob. If the Doctor heard her, he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he crossed the room to a cupboard. Rose looked up to see the contents. It was filled with movies.

He turned back to her, flashing her a wide grin. "Well? What should we watch?"

Sniffling and wiping her eyes, she stood up and walked to his side, standing on her tiptoes to peer into the cupboard. She scanned the several different movies, trying to find something they both would like. "This one," she chuckled, pulling out the movie.

"_Back to the Future_," the Doctor laughed. "Brilliant." He carefully placed the DVD into the player, then wrapped his arms around Rose's waist. He leaned backward until they both fell onto the couch, leaving Rose laughing. He buried his face into her hair. Once the movie was at the play screen, he reached for the remote and pressed the play button, turning the volume up a little. Rose turned her attention to the movie.

"Ya' know, I used to have a huge crush on Micheal J. Fox," she commented nearly twenty minutes into it. She was laying sideways on the couch, her head rested in the Doctor's lap.

"Really?" He laughed, cocking his head at her. Rose giggled, flashing him a tongue-in-teeth grin, then nodded, shrugging.

"Yeah, I dunno. Something about him was just appealing."

He didn't answer beyond a shake of his head.

**A/N: Also, if anyone's interested, my tumblr is claraintheclouds :3**


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